Once home to a civilization who mined Naquadah from the planet for an unknown Goa'uld, P5C-629 was completely abandoned by 1997 when Stargate Command scouted it. The only evidence left that a civilization even still existed was the abandoned village and an old naquadah mine which was a few miles northeast of this village. Having analyzed the course that Apophis's Ha'tak's took to reach Earth, P5C-629 was chosen as the best location for the off-world Seeker Project.

Designed to detect and track the "footprint" left by large-scale spaceships traveling through hyperspace before they were able to reach Earth, the Seeker Project was designed as a way to save Earth before the Goa'uld could get there. The SGC assigned three SG teams to the planet, charging SG-11 with constructing the base itself, SG-4 to scout the area surrounding the soon-to-be base, and SG-7 to set up the communications and tracking system. In addition to this, they planned to launch a network of small satellites into orbit around the planet which would be linked to a central system in the base. These satellites would detect the spatial disturbances, distortions, as well as radiation which was created by vessels traveling through space.

Construction of the base itself started three months after SG-1's second mission to Cimmeria, with work on both the base and communications equipment continuing steadily until its completion two months later. Although the Tau'ri were sure that the planet was free of Goa'uld occupation, they fitted the base with a self-destruct system which was capable of vaporizing the entire operation, satellites included, if the Goa'uld should ever return. The base itself was soon manned by teams of six people who were taken from the SGC's scientific personnel in rotating two-week shifts, as well as being guarded by a team of twelve soldiers who also guarded the DHD and Stargate in the nearby forest. (RPG: "Friends and Foes: Stargate Season Two") (SG1: "Thor's Chariot")